The arrest of Talcher Independent MlA Braja Kishore Pradhan generated heat in the State Assembly on Tuesday during Zero hour despite normalcy having restored in the House after three days of stalemate with the Opposition Congress demanding a direction from the Speaker to the Chief Minister to make a statement over the issue.
Pradhan was arrested twice on November 28 and on November 30 in connection with the violence at Talcher for allegedly fomenting violence in mine area. However, he was released on bail amid mounting pressure.
Raising the issue, Congress member Santosh Singh Saluja said police arrested Pradhan without informing the Chair when the House was in session. Stating that Pradhan’s arrest was politically motivated, he alleged that senior police officers and the son of a senior Minister were involved in the episode.
Alleging that the arrest was made at the instigation of a high police officer, he demanded that all the police personnel who arrested Pradhan should be placed under suspension and criminal cases be initiated against them.
lamenting that such incidents had not occurred in last 14 years, Saluja said Pradhan was arrested from Bhubaneswar at 7 pm on November 30 after he attended the Assembly. But instead of producing Pradhan at the SDJM court at Bhubaneswar, the police produced him at the SDJM court at Talcher, which was illegal, he said, adding Pradhan was also shown arrested from Talcher.
In the intimation letter given by the Talcher Colliery Police station IIC to the Speaker, the police had not shown that Pradhan was arrested from Bhubaneswar, he said.
Alleging that the House and the Chair were given wrong information, Saluja demanded a statement from the Chief Minister in the House. He sought the Chief Minister to clarify under which circumstance Pradhan was arrested and who arrested him and from where and when.
Opposition Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan said the police took Pradhan from Bhubaneswar to Talcher without a transit. Instead of police custody, he was sent to judicial custody.
Echoing the same concern, Harichandan demanded a statement from the Chief Minister stating the necessity of taking Pradhan under judicial custody.